In The News

Manitoba Aerospace Fund – Call For Proposals

The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada and MLA Scott Johnston announced the Manitoba Aerospace Fund (MAF) on October 10, 2018. Western Economic Diversification Canada and the Province of Manitoba collaboratively developed MAF to support the business productivity and growth of Manitoba Aerospace SMEs.

MAF is a $1.6M fund available to qualifying SMEs in support of projects that will create economic growth, including the creation/maintenance of jobs and higher export revenues.

The Composites Innovation Centre is responsible for delivering and managing MAF. The MAF Program Management Committee will review the recommended projects and make the finalfunding decisions.

Eligibility:

The program is primarily intended to support companies in the aerospace industry engaged in the design and/or manufacturing of aerospace parts and components (including supplemental modifications), maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft and or parts and components. Consideration will be given to companies in the aviation sector.

MAF will be open to enterprises that meet the following mandatory criteria:

For-Profit organization incorporated to conduct business in Canada

Have operating facilities located in Manitoba

Have been in operation for at least one year in Canada

Fewer than 500 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees in Manitoba

Organizations will need to demonstrate their overall governance, management and financial capacity to successfully undertake the project

Funding Mechanisms

Project funding will be provided to for-profit SMEs on a non-repayable basis over one fiscal year from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020. Project activities can run from April 1, 2019 through to December 31, 2020.

Timeline

End of call for proposals – February 1, 2019

Committee decision – March 1, 2019

Applicant notification – March 4, 2019

Project activities and funding period start – April 1, 2019

Funding period end – March 31, 2020

Project activities end – December 31, 2020

Eligible Projects

To be eligible for MAF funding, a project must meet the following criteria:

Be completed by December 31, 2020, with expenses from April 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 covered by other funding sources; and

Is incremental – project activities that are additional to the SME’s current operations or activities in MB.

Priority will be given to projects that:

Are in the aerospace sector

Create and / or maintain jobs in Manitoba

Increase domestic and / or export sales from existing or new market

Increase revenue

Demonstrate viability of long-term sustainability

Demonstrate SME contribution and / or leveraging of other funds toward project costs

Eligible Activities

Examples of possible project activities could include but are not limited to: